Through cheers, achievement sinks in

Not until parade did Brad Johnson realize he was QB of the world champions.

By RICK STROUD, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 30, 2003

HONOLULU -- Brad Johnson has traveled nearly 8,000 miles since quarterbacking the Bucs to the Super Bowl XXXVII title. But it wasn't until he was riding down a small stretch of pavement on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa Tuesday that it really was driven home.

"The parade was the first time I realized we had won the Super Bowl," Johnson said Wednesday. "That was it to me. And when we first started going down the street, I didn't think nothing about it. I thought, well, it's a parade. Then it just kept going and going. People were hanging out of windows up on the buildings, over the bridges. It was incredible.

"Another part, too, happened that made me realize it. Every team I've been on has been pretty much a winner. But then I looked and John Lynch and Warren Sapp, they were out of their cars and they hugged. But it wasn't just like a friendly hug. It was a hug, because they had been there through the bad. Then I realized how much it meant to Tampa, because they'd been through (27) years of that."

Johnson received another hero's welcome from Pro Bowl players in the lobby of the Ihilani Resort when he, Lynch, Mike Alstott and Derrick Brooks arrived Wednesday. Johnson wore a lei around his neck and a grin on his face that belied the fact he had slept only about 30 minutes since Sunday when he arrived with his wife, Nikki, who is seven months pregnant, and their 2-year-old son, Max.

Since hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, Johnson had attended a team party at the Hilton at Torrey Pines Sunday night, appeared on Good Morning America, flown to Los Angeles where he fulfilled a commitment to ride in another parade at Disneyland in Anaheim and appeared with receiver Keyshawn Johnson on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno before catching a red-eye to Tampa. He missed the celebration at Raymond James Stadium Monday night, an event topped only by the 100,000 Bucs fans lining the parade route the next day.

Johnson's satisfaction could not compare to the emotions shared by Lynch, Sapp and Brooks, the core of the defense that has played together for eight seasons.

"At one point, Sapp looked at me and pointed and we put our hands up and realized this is what we worked for," Lynch said. "We just had a nice moment and Derrick was there with us. I think we walked probably two miles yesterday because it was fun just getting out of the car, slapping hands with people."

Now that the Bucs have won the Super Bowl, Lynch wasn't shy about revealing what they really thought of their chances of beating the Raiders about 72 hours before Sunday's game.

Though much of the talk in San Diego focused on the Raiders No. 1 offense and league MVP Rich Gannon, Lynch said a quiet confidence had overtaken the Bucs.

"I felt like we'd smoke them, too. On Thursday, I really did," Lynch said. "I had that feeling the closer it got. And Jon (Gruden) had that feeling. Jon told me, 'We're not only going to beat these guys, we're going to beat them good.' That's the confidence we had. We just peaked as a team at the right time."

For as much attention as the Bucs received for having the league's No. 1 defense, what went without enough mention was that they also had the hottest quarterback.

Johnson threw 20 touchdowns and four interceptions in his last 10 starts, and during the season the list of more publicized quarterbacks he defeated piled up like a boneyard.

"You go back and look at every week at the buildup," Johnson said. "It was Aaron Brooks, then Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, Michael Vick, Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb. The only week it wasn't like that was Cincinnati. I was 7-1 against playoff teams and we beat the five quarterbacks (named to the NFC team).

"To win a Super Bowl, you have to have the cast. You have to have assistant coaches that are going to become head coaches, you have to have players that are going to become Hall of Famers, you have to have that to win. Then you've just got to be lucky."

Already in his 11th season, Johnson wasn't about to let the chance to become a world champion slip past him the way it did Gannon, who was intercepted a Super Bowl-record five times, including three that were returned for touchdowns.

"I knew I didn't want to lose," Johnson said. "Another thing, too, you can't rattle off the other teams that even played in the Super Bowl. You knew it was the Giants against the Ravens because it was in Tampa. But that's about it and we're in the business.

"I thought it was unfortunate for Rich. He is the league's MVP and had one of the best years ever, but as great as he was this year, that's how people will remember him until he wins it."

Now Johnson will be remembered as a world champion, although he admits the past four days have been a blur.

"I went from one thing to the other," he said. "I went to Disney and did two hours of interviews with everybody back home. It was just grinding. I think the biggest moments were at the end of the game, I had Nikki and Max on the field. And then the other one was probably the parade.

"I talked about it beforehand: Until it happens, you'll never understand, and I don't think I did either. If you lose, it's a train wreck. Now we've got to go do it again. It's short-lived."

The parade may be over, but Johnson still is enjoying the ride.

"Every year, your goal is to make the playoffs," he said. "Then you say, we made the playoffs and we've won a first-round game. That's an accomplishment in and of itself, and it doesn't get rewarded enough. But the all-tell is when you have a parade. That's the all-tell. I knew we had the Super Bowl in our back pocket. But that's when I really started to enjoy it."